Pushing Limits
by summer.laffoon
Summary: Can't think of a summary... HUDDY!
1. Chapter 1

***_I know it's a quick chapter. I'm just testing it out right now. This is my first fanfic so I'm improving on some things. I appreciate all of your feedback and please give me your suggestions. I don't not own anything that has to do with the show, House M.D.._**

The sound of rain was soft in the background as Greg House sat at his desk staring at the floor. He had been like that for almost three hours with a blank stare on his face. His team had already left for the weekend and he wasn't ready to go home to his girlfriend. Dr. Lisa Cuddy had come into his office earlier that day ranting at him for a reason that House was afraid of. He had spent so much time trying to tip-toe around her feelings the past few weeks not wanting to upset her. That seemed so easy for him to do lately and he was afraid of losing her. The argument earlier that day was the exact one he had tried so hard to avoid.

"_Greg, what's the matter with you!" Lisa Cuddy came barging angrily into House's office._

"_What do you mean?" House played dumb until he was positive he knew what the conversation would be about._

"_Why are you being so distant? You won't even come ask for simple procedures anymore. Cameron can't do everything for you."_

"_I have a bum leg and she's a perfectly healthy twenty-something. Why not make her do all the running around?"_

"_Stop making excuses. If there's an issue between the two of us, I want you to take it up with me."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Yeah, I'm sure you are." Cuddy quickly turned around and left the office with not much of an intention on coming back too soon._

House kept going over the conversation in his head. There was no depth to it; like she came in just to talk. He wanted desperately to have the words to say. He wanted to know how to fix things with her. But he didn't even know what he had done to mess things up with her. His mind began to race. He had tried so hard lately to hold onto her that he had ended up pushing her away. He needed help. Help from a pro and he knew exactly who that was. House grabbed his cane and hurried out of the office.

***

Dr. James Wilson sat at his desk going over a patients chart when he was suddenly interrupted by banging on his door.

"Wilson! I need your expertise on failure with women." House let himself into the small office.

"Are you sure about that?"

"I'm serious." House closed the door and every trace of playfulness he had on himself vanished. Wilson just looked up at him a little concerned at seeing him like this. House sat down in a chair opposite Dr. Wilson. He paused for a moment moving his glance all around Wilson's desk.

"Everything I do makes her mad. I try as hard as I can just to keep her from getting ticked off at me and it's all I seem to be able to do lately. What am I doing wrong?"

"Why did you feel like you had to be careful around her in the first place?"

"She got moody before I ever did anything. I tried to make it better but it just made her madder. I'm afraid she's pushing me out of her life."

"Did you talk to her about it?"

"No, I don't know what to say."

"Well then say what's on your mind. She has to respect that."

House just sat for a moment going over things in his head. He sighed. "Well, now I get to go find out why you get divorced so often."

"Very funny."

House got up and left the room.

* * *

**_*Again, I know it's short. It will pick up. Just give me you feedback and that will really help._**

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

_***Okay, I'm going to try to give this chapter a little more umph. I'm still looking for feedback so bring it on.**_

House walked into his apartment to the sound of his beeping answering machine. He scrolled through his caller id and didn't see anyone he was interested in hearing from so he deleted all of the messages. He hung his coat up on the rack and his cane on the door frame. Then he looked back at his phone contemplating whether he should call Cuddy or not. He needed time to know what to say and he was at a loss for words. His leg had had a more sharp pain than what he'd felt in a while and ever since he'd started dating Cuddy, she kept a close watch on how much Vicodin he took. He had actually started to cut back a little. Instead of reaching for the prescription bottle, he took the bourbon off the shelf. He spent the night on his couch finishing off the almost empty bottle while watching Korean wrestling.

The next morning he woke up with a stiff neck and a chapped face. His head was aching and every light and sound came in and poked at every vulnerable part of his brain. He looked at his clock which told him he was two hours late for the clinic duty he was ordered to do for the weekend. He tried standing but soon learned that that idea was no good. He sat there with his hands cupped over the back of his neck trying to muster up enough energy to go take a shower.

***

Cuddy watched from her desk as Wilson met up with House outside of the clinic. When they kept walking on towards the elevators, her heart sank a little. She wanted House to show some sort of emotion to her. She couldn't figure him out lately. He kept changing his approach when he wanted to talk to her and she began to feel like she was in a one-sided relationship. She started to involuntarily act negatively towards him and then hate herself for it. She wanted to mend things but she almost felt like there was some reason he was being this way. She kept her guard because she'd seen him act this way before.

The only woman House had ever cared about was his girlfriend of five years. Near the end of that term House had gotten distant the same way he was now. In the end of it all, a terrible break up happened and House never got over it. The only differences between these two situations were that Cuddy and House had only been together for a few months and they had never told each other they loved each other. Cuddy began to fear that House had never been involved in the relationship to begin with and she had made a fool out of herself. Like it was some joke between House and Wilson. Some stupid game like "who can get in her pants first." What if House let it go too far after he won this game. Now he was doing to best he could to let her down easy.

Cuddy didn't want to be used and she hadn't been preparing herself for it. She hated herself for expecting something more of House. She got more and more mad at this until everything she said came off as jerkish and bossy. She wanted to talk to House but felt like she needed an excuse for it.

She looked back down at the pile of paperwork she had and tried to erase House from her thoughts. I wasn't an easy task.

***

House and Wilson walked into an elevator together having said nothing yet.

"So have you talked to Cuddy?" Wilson tried to nonchalantly meddle into House and Cuddy's relationship.

"No." House gave a short reply as he pushed the button for the fourth floor.

"Are you going to?"

"I don't know."

"Seriously? Yesterday you were desperate for help and now you don't even care?"

"Why should I try to fix something I didn't do? Let her be mad at me, I tried and that wasn't good enough for her." House suddenly got very defensive and he had a lot of emotion packed in his voice.

"Do you really think she's that low?" House just turned and looked at him, puzzled. "You obviously did something to make her mad. Come on, it's you. Stop dragging around in your own self pity. This is your own fault no matter what it's about. I know Cuddy can be moody, but I also know she doesn't get angry without just cause. Go fix it."

House racked his brain something to retaliate with but he stopped himself from saying anything.

The elevator door opened and they both began to step out. "House, go do your job." House stayed and pressed the button for the ground level. He went back to the clinic even though his shift would be over in almost half an hour.

***

House checked into the clinic and took a file from the stack. Cuddy walked towards him as he tried not to notice.

"You're late." She attempted to make eye contact but wasn't successful.

"I had a consult."

"No you didn't. You walked in two minutes ago talking to Wilson and if he was the one who wanted the consult, my condolences to the patient's family."

"There's a patient that needs a diagnosis." He raised up the file in his hand to show her. "You're not usually one to hold up that process." His tone was sarcastic as he walked away. Cuddy wanted to follow him. She was angry at him for being himself and at herself for expecting him not to be. She wanted to not care about him and she wanted to be close to him and hear his heart as he held her close. She couldn't read him and be able to tell what changed. He was so involved and he seemed to be just a little bit happier than normal when they first got together and everything changed all of a sudden. She didn't know how or why but it ticked her off. She was never the type to let someone walk all over her and she had spent all the time she'd known House trying to figure him out so he couldn't take advantage of her either. Now he was actually able to get to her. He'd only done that once before when he attacked the one weak spot he knew she had. She had been trying desperately to have a baby and he openly told her she'd be a crappy mother. She began to worry that she had embarrassed herself by thinking that the relationship meant something to him. Now it seemed like he was just in it for sex and to get in her good graces. Then when he saw that he couldn't cloud her judgment and get pointless tests or get out of clinic duty, he no longer saw the purpose of the relationship and started to push her away. She made the decision that if he wasn't in it for real, that she didn't have to be either. Right then was the last moment that she considered House to be her other half. He was just a colleague that got on her nerves.

That night, when Cuddy was finishing up paperwork, she got a call that nearly stopped her heart. She had hardly anything to say to the person on the other line and sat there in awe. Her eyes turned slightly redder and their moisture slightly increased; that was all the reaction she could give.

***

It had gotten dark outside and the rain had finally stopped. Cuddy looked at the floor as she walked through the various halls in the hospital. She stopped at a glass door and looked inside. She saw a still Dr. House staring at the things on his desk. She walked in only a few steps past the doorway. She held her hands at her waist and messed with her thumbs.

"House." House looked at her letting that be the signal that she should go on. "It's my dad." House's gaze softened as her breathing became more unsteady and she began to tear up.


	3. Chapter 3

_***Thanks so much for all of the reviews. I'm open to them all, good and bad. They help me write faster so let me know what you think.**_

It was two o'clock in the morning when Dr. Lisa Cuddy's father was wheeled into the ER after a nearly fatal car accident. He was unconscious and in bad shape. The EMT's were still unsure if he would make it much longer. Apparently they told Cuddy that it was _nearly_ fatal to keep her from freaking out. She stood in the corner watching the commotion not knowing how to handle herself. She couldn't stand watching her dad die.

House showed up behind her with a cup of coffee. She took it and they stood together silently, watching the ER staff attend to her father.

"Are you alright?" House asked her while still looking at her dad.

"I don't know."

House put his arms around her and she turned into him and began to sob. He pulled tight letting her know that he was there for her. He remembered the way they fit together and he hated being without it. He reassured her it would be okay.

They pulled slightly away from each other and he wiped her tears with his thumb.

"I'm sorry, Lisa." All she could do was nod, but she felt something move inside her. Not only did she forgive him, but he had gained ground with her. She needed him and he picked the perfect thing to do.

"Come on. Let the doctors handle it. There's no need to stand here stressing yourself out." House tried to convince her that she needed to leave.

"But what if something happens—"

"Then they'll call you. You need to sleep, you've been here too long." Cuddy just looked at him. "Come on, I'll take you home." She nodded and they turned and walked toward the doors.

***

They pulled up to Cuddy's house and she woke up to the car turning off. House helped her inside and took her to her bedroom.

"I'm going to go find something to eat." He turned to leave but before he could get anywhere, she grabbed his arm.

"Please don't leave. I just can't be alone right now."

"I'm not going anywhere, but I'm starving and I'm sure you probably are too. I'll be right back."

"Okay." She let him go but was slightly let down that he was even in the next room. She wanted to be next to him.

House walked back in with a coke for her and a bag of Chex Mix that he was already eating. He handed her the coke and sat down next to her on the bed. She put it on the night stand and looked him in the eyes. She moved her hands up to hold the back of his next and slowly moved into him. Their lips met and they were lost in a passionate kiss.

***

The next morning, House woke up to a familiar smell. He opened his eyes and saw a dark head right underneath his chin. They were close together in each other's arms until Cuddy began to move. She sighed as she resituated herself on him.

"Morning," House had a low voice due to the fact that he had just woken up.

"Hey," she looked up at him and smiled until she remembered everything that happened last night. "Have you heard anything from the hospital?"

"No"

Cuddy was relieved because that meant that her dad hadn't gotten worse but that also probably meant that he hadn't gotten better. Her face showed concern and though House couldn't see her face, he could feel it in the silence between them.

"Lise, I checked on him. He's stable, no internal bleeding, no organs that can't be used anymore. All he has are a few cuts that need stitches. He should regain consciousness just fine. The impact of the airbag is what took him out. Trust your doctors. They see much worse than this everyday and they save a lot of people. Everything will be alright."

Cuddy looked at him and gave a wary smile at his attempt to console her. "I just want to go down to the hospital and see how he's doing. I won't stress myself out."

"Okay."

***

Cuddy walked into her dad's hospital room surprised to see that he was awake and well. He looked beat up but he also looked like he was in good spirits.

"Good morning Dr. Cuddy," the nurse in the room was adjusting her father's meds but didn't stay for long.

"Lizzie," Mr. Cuddy drew his words out and gave her a comforting smile.

"Hey dad, how are you?"

"I'm getting along. The doctors told me that they would be able to let me go soon. Maybe today."

"Really? I'll look over your file and see if you're ready to leave. Greg told me you would make a full recovery though."

"Recovery from what, a few scrapes and bruises? That House is an idiot. You know I don't like him. Why are you running around with him anyway?"

"Dad, this isn't the place."

"And neither is anywhere else. I could be on my death bed."

"You just told me you only had a few scrapes and bruises. I know Greg comes off as a jerk, but he's not all bad. He's capable of caring about people." Cuddy wondered if that was true. She hoped it was and she thought she'd seen it in him, but he was pretty good at putting on a show if he needed to.

"He'll hurt you."

"I'm a big girl dad, mean boys on the playground don't get to me like they used to. I can take care of myself."

"And he can't resist pressing peoples' buttons. He'll be the perfect guy and he'll know exactly what makes you tick and then he'll use that against you."

"He's already learned how to do that. There's not much he can do to surprise me."

"But there's something?"

"Dad—"

"Fine, but I'll say 'I told you so.'"

"Then so will I." Cuddy turned and left the room with that last statement. She kept thinking about House. The way he had been acting confused her. He would get distant and moody and not say much and then it would stop. But this last time didn't count. Of course he would be nice and supportive if her dad was possibly dying. She needed to know if it was safe to commit. She didn't just want to be a booty call. And she definitely didn't want her dad to be right. It drove her crazy when he was right because she wouldn't hear the end of it for years.

Cuddy turned a corner and walked toward a door that read Dr. James Wilson. She knocked and waited for a reply. Wilson opened the door shortly after.

"Hey, do you have a minute?" Cuddy seemed concerned.

"Sure, what do you need?" He motioned her in and told her to have a seat.

"How can I tell if Greg is serious about this or not?"

"About what, your relationship?"

"Yeah, is he just messing with me? Like, how can I tell if he's really committed?" She was having trouble asking what she wanted and she tip-toed around the actual question not knowing how to word it.

"He seems committed to me. He's not one to waste his time, and if he thought he was, he would've already ended it."

"No, how can _I _tell. I feel like there's something I don't about him. These past couple weeks, he's made his answers really short. Like he's been saying what he thought I wanted to hear. I feel like he's been avoiding me emotionally. And I don't want to sound like just another whinny woman that thinks her boyfriend doesn't like her, but I want to have a relationship with _him_, not some robot."

"Look… He's probably waiting for you to make your move. You guys did get serious pretty fast and he's trying to protect himself until he has sure evidence that he can let his guard down. He's loved one woman. And he hasn't gotten involved with anyone since. He's never been one to play the field. He and Stacy moved in together after just a week of knowing each other. She stole his heart and the use of his leg. In the end, she shattered his life. He taped his heart back together and built the Wall of China around it. He's broken, mistreated, confused, and abused. He doesn't like the feeling of that. No one does, but most other people react to the world differently than he does. They open themselves up to the world knowing that they can make it through a rough night and get back on the horse the next day. They see that it's worth it. He can't asses the fact that when you sacrifice yourself for something, you get something in return. He can open up and he's trying but he won't let himself go through that again. If he for any reason thinks that you're not in it for real, he'll end it just as fast as it started."

Cuddy was blown away by all of this. She knew House went deeper than a grumpy doctor but she never really knew him well enough to see all of this. "How am I supposed to show him that I'm serious? He's not one for big gestures."

"Be supportive. Let him stick his foot in the water without making him worry about someone turning the heat up. Understand him and be patient with him. Let him ease back into the deep end with him knowing he's got you to keep him from drowning. And especially don't give him a choice between you and something else this early on in the relationship. He's not ready for that." House came barging into the office. He nodded at Cuddy to acknowledge her and then told Wilson that he needed him.

As they left the office, Wilson wanted to give some secretive metaphor that reiterated the conversation he had with Cuddy, but he figured that House would figure it out then want to play twenty questions.

Once they were out of earshot of Wilson's office, House started asking.

"What was that about?"

"She was talking to me about getting a replacement for Jones."

"Jones left?"

"Yeah, last week."

"Hmm." House hesitated before going into his next topic. "How do I keep her from getting mad at me?"

"Well, you're not perfect House. She'll get mad at you no matter what you do."

"How do I keep her from getting mad at everything I do?" House sounded annoyed.

"Stop trying so hard to get it right. She likes you, not the guy you're pretending to be."

_***So, I'm sorry about the wait for this one. I had a little trouble getting started but then I figured out where I wanted to go with it. Keep reviewing and I'll write faster.**_

_**And btw, is anyone else a little bothered by these imvu ads?**_


	4. Chapter 4

_***Keep reviewing! It's the only way I know if anyone's even reading the story.**_

_**And by the way, as I was going through the story, I started wondering if maybe people thought that these two lived together. Just to clear things up, they don't.**_

House pushed the doors open to Cuddy's office the way he always did when he had some sort of outrageous news like a crazy test or some messed up philosophy that he was really proud of.

"I need to kill my patient."

"Oh, yeah, if only you could cope like normal people and develop a terrible drug addiction." Cuddy was doing business on her computer that she still hadn't looked up from.

"He has a DNR and he's terminal so he's pretty much going to be a vegetable in a matter of days. But his son on the other hand can use his heart."

"Oh, well if that's the case now you can kill him and cut out his heart." She was looking at the papers on her desk now.

"He's going to be on a feeding tube for the rest of his life, it's not like he needs his heart for anything."

"Except for the 'rest of his life' part."

"I didn't say how long the rest of his would be."

"Does your patient know about this?"

"That I don't know how long he'll live?" House was being sarcastic trying to evade being shot down.

"Does he know that if he dies, his heart can save his son and the only way he can die is if we kill him? Once he goes into a vegetative state, does he want to be kept that way?"

"I guess we'll find out when Cameron's done being Cameron."

"Well then come ask me then."

"Are you saying I have to leave?" House had a playful tone in his voice. He walked toward Cuddy with the intent to kiss her—

"Who do you think you are?!" A short older man came storming into Cuddy's office obviously very angry.

Cuddy stood up from her desk. "I'm sorry, can I help you?"

"You killed my wife!" The man was looking at Cuddy but she looked at House thinking that maybe it was one of his patients. She looked back at the man confused.

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

"You and this crappy hospital of yours killed her! She had Giant Cell Myocarditis and you let her die!"

House broke into the conversation once the man started to get a little too angry for him to let it just blow over. "That's an autoimmune disease. You can't catch that. She didn't get it in the hospital."

"Shut up!" The man swung at House but he dodged it at the last second. Instead, the man's fist hit Cuddy hard in the center of her face. For the briefest moment, he looked surprised and a little scared but he didn't have time for it to last. He was knocked off his feat by a cane cracking him in the side of his head. Once he was down, House kicked him in the genitals and he looked to be unconscious. House turned his attention to Cuddy. She was holding her bleeding nose and looked to be in pain.

"Come on," House ushered out of her office. "Need some help in there," he said notifying someone to go clean up the mess he had just had a hand in making. He took Cuddy into an exam room.

He gave her gauze to hold under her nose while he got an ice pack. He looked at her nose to make sure everything was okay.

"It's broken."

"Crap."

"Alright, lean back." House started to move his stool to the other side of the bed.

"What, why?"

"I have to set it," He said this like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Cuddy gave an uncomfortable sigh and laid back on the table.

"This will hurt." House quickly set her nose as she winced.

"Ow," she said almost in an annoyed tone.

"Told you." She gave him a smirk as he helped her sit back up.

He grabbed some nose packing and a splint and attempted to dress her nose. She pushed it away.

"No, I'll be okay."

"No, not unless you want an awesomely crooked nose."

"I'll be fine without it."

"Fine but at least wear it while you sleep."

"Okay," she grabbed the supplies out of his hand. He moved in and gave her a quick kiss.

"Ow."

"Sorry." He gave her an apologetic smile. "You're probably going to have a black eye."

"I know." She slipped down off the table and grabbed his hand. She turned around and looked at him. "Thank you."

"Oh, well, it's my job."

"No, for standing up for me."

He smiled at her and kissed her again, careful not to hit her nose. "Do you have anything else important to do today?"

"No, why?"

"You should go home and put some ice on that. Get some rest."

She nodded in agreement. "Okay. Will you come over after work?"

House smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

She smiled at him as she left the room leaving him standing there with a big grin on his face. He was happy. It wasn't just him being happy about something good; that feeling wasn't foreign to him. What he felt was actual happiness taking over his life. It was something he wasn't sure if he'd ever felt before. He wasn't miserable and he felt like nothing could take him there.

***

Cuddy turned off the shower and stepped out of the stall. As she reached for a towel, she heard music. She listened closer already figuring that someone was playing the piano. Her guess was confirmed but that wasn't what she was listening for. She'd never heard this before. The music quickly stopped and the song changed. She was thrown off a little. She was enjoying the previous song. She loved it when House played the piano and he did it quite often but most of the stuff he played, she recognized. Or she had at least heard it before. She figured this meant that this was something new. Possibly something that he didn't want her to hear.

She finished getting dressed and she put her hair up without drying it. She walked out into the den where the piano was and sat down next to House as he played.

He finished the song and looked up at her. He snorted and gave out a little laugh.

"What happened to you?" He was referring to her now more swollen nose and the bruises that had begun to move under her eyes.

"Shut up." She rolled eyes at him.

"You're stuck with that for like a week." House was obviously enjoying this.

"Go be useful and get me ice."

"Yes, master," he got up from the piano bench and walked toward the kitchen. Cuddy got up and followed him.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes, I thought you'd never ask."

Cuddy smiled at House and began to make the two of them dinner.

***

The issues that House and Cuddy had been having had seemed to have been mended and they were on good terms with each other. They were happy and the whole situation didn't seem to affect their work.

Cuddy sat in her office needing to do paperwork but instead, she was focusing on everything else. Her relationship with House had become more than just spending time with each other and eating the same meal at the same time in the same place. Her feelings for him began to evolve. She enjoyed seeing him. It wasn't some eighth grade girl's crush; she felt like he was her other half. The feeling of awkwardness had gone but they weren't like an old married couple. They had turned into happier versions of what they used to be to each other when they were just doctors that worked together. Except for the fact that they were now sleeping together. They would do their doctor thing. House would make wise cracks about Cuddy's body and ask for ridiculous procedures. But it wasn't the same. Instead of hostility and misery after they argued about something, they would make plans for that night.

House hadn't lost what made him a good doctor though. And she hadn't lost what made her a good Dean of Medicine. He would still get wrapped up in a case and she would still stand up to him. He would fight as far as he could to get something the same way he always did and she wouldn't back down until he finally played his cards. It was the same way things had always been. The situation had only slightly been altered. What should've happened from the beginning was finally becoming reality. And the big thing was that it was a success.

Cuddy's thoughts were interrupted by House coming into her office.

"My patient died."

She looked a little shocked. "What happened?"

"Heart attack. Couldn't revive him."

"What about the son?"

"He won't make it. He can't qualify for a donor heart… I want to do an autopsy."

"What does the family say?"

"They don't want me to."

"Well then you can't do an autopsy." Cuddy was confused why he was asking her this.

"We need to know what's wrong with him."

"Apparently not anymore. If you're so curious, use what parts of his body you still have from other tests but that's all you can do."

House hesitated to get up and leave. When he did, Cuddy watched him walk away as he nearly drowned himself in self-pity. But she knew he'd get over it. He'd find some other way to satisfy his curiosity.

She returned to her thoughts. Cuddy's feelings for House were something different than what she was used to. Something that made her happy and scared all at the same time. It was a feeling she had been hoping she'd feel since she was about seven-years-old.

_***Please, let me know what you think. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_***So, I'm really sorry about the wait again. I was on a ski trip so I had no way to update. Now that school's starting back up, my updates will be a few days apart, but I'll do my best to stay on top of it. Keep reviewing!**_

House walked into Cuddy's office without saying anything and sat in one of her chairs.

"Do you need something?" She was almost confused on why he was there because he didn't usually just come in to sit.

"I hope you're not mad at me."

"Do I have a reason to be?"

"A little."

"What did you do?" She said this a little annoyed but she was used to him screwing up so it didn't really catch her off guard.

"You have a lawsuit."

She just looked at him. "How much?"

"Two million." He handed her a paper.

"House! What did you do?" She took the paper from him and looked it over.

"He hit me first. I have surveillance cameras to prove it."

"You hit a patient?"

"No, a patient hit me. You're not going to be out any money."

"Don't be so quick to assume that. You obviously said something to tick him off. You're standing on your last leg, House. The courts aren't going to be so forgiving."

"I can change their minds." He said this with a sexual tone. "Can I request a female judge?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"What, you don't think I can take care of myself?"

"No, I think you can be the one to shut my hospital down. And I can't have a doctor on probation. We could lose a lot of patients over that."

"I have like one patient a week. Is that going to hurt you that bad?"

"One doctor is all it takes for people to get the wrong idea of this place. I don't want any of my staff in trouble with the law. Even if it's a janitor."

"Fine, I'll be extra caring in court."

"I'd like to see that."

They sat there for a moment before House spoke up again. "So, what happened with the psycho widower?"

"We have more on him than he does on us so he's going to keep his mouth shut."

"You're not going to sue him?"

"I prefer to be in only one court case at a time."

"You didn't know about my lawsuit until just now though."

"I don't want to go to court over nothing."

"You just got a lawsuit for two million dollars. You should be suing over anything."

"I thought I didn't know about that until just now though." House had no retaliation. "It's not worth it, and it makes the hospital look desperate. I don't want bad publicity for the hospital."

He smiled and got up to leave the room. She smiled and picked up the phone. He turned around and looked at her again before leaving her office.

***

Wilson met up with House as he entered the cafeteria. "How's Cuddy?"

"She's healed. It's like she's Superwoman. I knew I picked her for something."

Wilson smiled at House's joke. "Well at least she's not ticked or we'd all have to pay for it."

"Well she kind of is but for different reasons."

"What did you do?"

"I killed her soul. Pointed a laser beam right at it and went wild. Now she's just pure evil."

"Careful, Jesse. You never know where she might be a lurkin'."

"Oh don't worry. I've got that covered." House gave a devious smile as he said this.

"So how's your patient?"

"The insomniac? Still trying to figure that one out."

"Got any ideas?"

"I always have ideas."

"The bad part is, you always think they're right."

"Wait, I thought confidence was a good thing."

"Yeah, but when you do it, it's torture."

House just smiled at Wilson's comment.

"So how are you and Cuddy?"

"What's with you today?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's like you haven't seen me in ages. You're not usually this random. Don't worry Wilsykins, I won't forget the one who tried to fix me first." House said this with a sarcastic, babyish tone.

Wilson smirked with an annoyed look on his face. "I'm being serious, House. Are you serious about your relationship?"

"Oh yeah. I can tell she is too, if you know what I mean." House wagged his eyebrows.

"Why are you deflecting?"

"Why are you so curious?"

"Because you lack the ability to talk about it. Either you're embarrassed because you are serious or you're deflecting because you're not."

"What do you want me to say? That I love her, that I hate it when she leaves my arms? I haven't even told her that yet."

"Yet?"

"Shut up."

Wilson stopped asking because he was satisfied with the answer he had. For the first time in years, he could see something in House that most people thought was nonexistent. He was happy for House. He liked seeing him happy because it rubbed off on him. He could have a friend while not having to deal with a middle aged child.

That's why he was so glad when Cuddy became House's boss because she was one of the few people that he didn't have control over. She gave him the limitations he needed. Although he was able to play her game by getting her wrapped around him emotionally. He could give her a guilt trip with almost no effort and get whatever he wanted. But he respected her so he saved this for special occasions. He used these times more as reminders that he was there rather than to get what he wanted. It was like he always felt like she belonged to him. He didn't want her with other men because his ability to control her would cease. She would have someone to protect her from him. Someone he wouldn't want to deal with. He didn't like the feeling of her needing protection from him. And the enjoyment he got out of tormenting her would be gone. On a subconscious level, he knew that if someone else had her, what thoughts she had for him, if any, would also come to an end. His soul wouldn't let that happen, whether he knew it or not. He never fought to have her or to keep her close to him but he guarded her perimeter and when someone else got close or got in, he chased them off before they could have a chance to fall for Cuddy. They didn't want to fight for someone they didn't know was worth it.

Because of this, Wilson was always supportive of House and Cuddy having a relationship. That's why he even pushed it a little. He was waiting for House to analyze the situation and realize his need for Cuddy. His love for her. Knowing House, this had already happened somewhat. But he knew that House hadn't vocalized it yet. It was important for House to do that. Cuddy needed to know if she was loved without a doubt so she didn't have to wonder if he was screwing around with her.

_**Flashback**_

_House was passed out in his apartment when Wilson walked in. As soon as Wilson saw him, he thought the worst, until he saw the empty prescription bottle lying on the floor next to him. Wilson had no pity for House. He did this to himself and he was tired of this addiction. It was affecting House in the worst way it could. If he came off the pills and got over the detox, everything would be fine. He was a good doctor before the pills so the fact that it made him who he was was a terrible excuse._

_Wilson shook House's shoulder and he somewhat came to. "You're an idiot." He didn't know why he was still there but he couldn't let himself leave._

"_Are you going to tell Cuddy?" House looked dazed and confused._

"_What would that do, you obviously don't take her into consideration now." The two looked at each other for a moment and then Wilson got up and left._

_***_

_When House woke up again, he had a headache that he thought might kill him. He miraculously remembered Wilson coming over earlier. And he remembered what he said. His relationship with Cuddy wasn't a joke. He did care for her and he hated hearing someone say anything against that. He wanted to hate Wilson for what he said but all of his rage was directed at himself. His gut wrenched as thoughts raced through his head. Would Wilson tell Cuddy? Would she be angry with him? Of course she would, he let her down. Would she leave him? She deserved someone better than him. He was amazed that she picked him in the first place but if she found out about this, she would be furious. Who wants to deal with someone like that? He couldn't face her. It would be too hard to look her in the eyes. He was afraid to see something that would tear his world apart. He was afraid to see her hurt. He was afraid to see her hate him. He didn't think he was strong enough to have his heart broken again._

**Flashback ends**

Wilson thought back to a night a few weeks ago. He never told Cuddy about what happened. He didn't see the need to. He had seen House do that before. The more he thought about it, the more he thought that it might have something to do with the tension House and Cuddy had had between them the past few weeks. Although things seemed to have been resolved with them.

He knew that House would keep his emotions bottled up and it was his goal that House didn't guard himself so much that he pushed Cuddy away.

_***Again, I'm sorry about the wait. Hopefully that won't happen again. Thank you all for reading. REVIEW, REVIEW!!**_


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